“Child 44”

I picked up Tom Rob Smith’s Child 44 because it was on the Booker long list. As usual, I didn’t read the book jacket. It sat on my shelf, looking very dense and Soviet, and I confess I didn’t really want to read it. Little did I know, it would turn out to be one of the most pulse-pounding, page-turning, exciting books I would read all year. I started it during my lunch break, and finished it before 10 PM last night, though I was sure that this 400+ page book would take me two days.

I was instantly reminded of Smilla’s Sense of Snow, another superb literary thriller. This was good, because for some reason I was expecting tanks and submarines, two factors that will generally keep me from watching a movie and certainly from reading a book.

Child 44 really has it all. It’s got a plot. It’s got atmosphere. It’s got well defined characters. It’s also got some very graphic scenes, right from the first page, so if you’re sensitive don’t read it before bed.

DISCLAIMER

I'm not really a reviewer or a critic. First, what I write can't really be called reviews, because I deliberately leave out any kind of description of a book's plot or characters - I like a blank slate when I start a book and I'm assuming you do too. Second, I almost never criticize anything about a book. I love reading and it's rare for me to bring home a book that doesn't wow me or at least please me, which is why I don't accept ARCs. So if you're looking for real detail or insightful criticism, you'll have to track down a blogger smarter than me!

What I’m Reading This Week

(In case you want to drop everything, read it, and have a discussion about it with me):
The Woman Who Lost Her Soul - Bob Shacochis
AUDIO: The Children's Book - A. S. Byatt